My all-time favorite hiring story is from Satya Nadella's book, Hit Refresh.As part of Nadella's first round of interviews at Microsoft, the interviewer quizzed Nadella, "Imagine you see a baby laying on the street, and the baby is crying. What do you do?"Nadella quickly replied, "You call 911."The interviewer: "You need some empathy. If a... Continue Reading →
Of all the great pieces I've ever read on mentorship, those nine lines from Maya Angelou have perhaps resonated with me the most. An understanding of the purpose and essence of mentorship cannot be emphasized enough, as much for the mentor as the mentee. Maybe even more. For a long time, I thought I was... Continue Reading →
Plane crashes are not always due to bad engines. A 1993 Boeing study of aviation accidents points to teamwork and communication failures. “The whole flight deck design is intended to be operated by two people, and that operation works best when you have one person checking the other, or both people willing to participate” Things get tricky... Continue Reading →
High school biology class My teacher opened the textbook and announced, "Today we will study the Theory the Evolution.." As the class proceeded, he acknowledged the students religious and cultural concerns. He created a supportive class environment for all to participate in. Someone asked him in between if he believed in the theory. In all... Continue Reading →
Can the emotional culture of an organization be codified? The unwritten rules of an org/ team almost always exceeds the written. Does it help to have them stated? Giles Turnbull, created one for new hires at the U.K. Government Digital Service. He drafted a list, asked his colleagues to add other ideas, and then designed... Continue Reading →
What do we need on the team - Faith or Trust? Is it one and the same thing? Faith is not evidence based. Trust is. For the same reason, faith cannot be explained while trust, usually an outcome of faith, is conscious. Faith is belief based and trust is action based. E.g. When the pandemic... Continue Reading →
The other day, my daughter asked me to help her draw a swan. I did. She wasn't happy with the results. Try convincing a 6yo that Black Swans are a thing. For ages, the world had thought that all swans were white. Until one black swan spotted in Australia, in the 1600s, destroyed an assertion... Continue Reading →
A Leader is judged not only during a crisis. A Leader faces the test every single day. Reminds me of the surprise tests at school. Can't complain of the out of syllabus questions. Can't google for answers. Traditionally, leaders faced the constant pressure of being right. They felt judged for what they thought, said and... Continue Reading →
Back to school!! 🏫🤩 This time to discuss, with about 80 high school students, how to Manage Life's Projects, through Project Management methodologies. Personally, this was a very special session for me. I am of the belief that Project Management is not just for PMs. It's an enabling life skill. Many schools introduce project work... Continue Reading →
When did you last attempt a solution that made the actual problem worse? 🙃 I bet it happens to the best of us - at home, at work- when well-intended decisions to fix a problem make the problem worse, usually when not well-thought through. Just learned that there's a term for it, thanks to Bryan Kearney.... Continue Reading →
Liji Thomas 